Paibul asks permanent officials to compile lists of urgent bills

Gen Paibul Khumchaya, assistant Army chief and head of the legal affairs committee of the junta, on Tuesday instructed senior government officials to compile lists of their ministries' urgent bills.

The officials were instructed to prioritise the bills, which were initiated by their ministries and which are pending enactment. The lists must be submitted to the Justice Ministry by Friday, Paibul said. The ministry acts as the secretary for the legal affairs committee of the National Council for Peace and Order.

Paibul held a meeting of permanent secretaries and department chiefs as well as legal affairs officials from 19 ministries and the PM's Office at the Army headquarters at 10am.

Paibul told the officials that NCPO chief Gen Prayuth Chan-ocha wanted to know about pending bills considered urgent and which would affect the public. Consideration would be given to whether these bills should be enacted under the orders of the NCPO, Paibul said.

The NCPO also wants to know how many draft laws have been approved by the Cabinet pending scrutiny by the Council of State. The NCPO might consider re-endorsing the bills for a new legislative assembly to deliberate.

The NCPO also wanted information on which bills the ministry are drafting as well as the reasons behind the new bills, Paibul said.